The California Academy of Sciences was founded in San Francisco in 1853.It is one of the most prestigious institutions in the US, and one of the few institutes of natural sciences in which public experience and scientific research occur at the same location.New California Academy of Sciences houses the Kimball Natural History Museum, Steinhart Aquarium and Morrison Planetarium, along with 8 scientific research departments and over 20 million scientific specimens.The design unifies the Academy’s original array of twelve buildings, which were built over eight decades, into a single modern landmark that places a visual and intellectual emphasis on the natural world.Piano’s design was inspired by the concept of metaphorically lifting up a piece of the park and sliding the museum underneath.
